Condensing units are well known for removing heat from refrigerant being circulated in a refrigerant circuit to cool a climate-controlled area. A typical condensing unit includes a compressor for compressing the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit and a condenser, which receives the compressed refrigerant from the compressor and cools and condenses the refrigerant. The refrigerant, once condensed, is conveyed to an evaporator unit. The evaporator unit is positioned inside the climate-controlled area and includes an evaporator for transferring heat from air in the climate-controlled area to the refrigerant. The condensing unit is typically outside of the climate-controlled area and serves to compress and cool the refrigerant after the evaporator has transferred the heat from the air to the refrigerant. In essence, the condensing unit dispenses the heat of the air in the climate-controlled area to outside of the climate-controlled area.
Condensing units can come in a wide variety of capacities depending upon the particular application and the cooling power required. As a result, installers must maintain a large inventory of condensing units to accommodate their customers. As can be appreciated, such a large inventory can reduce efficiency and profitability. As a result, there is a need in the art for variable capacity condensing units that can be easily assembled based on the particular use to which the condensing unit is being applied.
One attempt at meeting this need is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,953,929 to Bauman et al. Bauman et al. discloses a modular refrigeration unit. In Bauman et al., the components of the refrigeration unit include an evaporator, condenser, and compressor, which can be easily assembled for quick installations. Bauman et al., however, does not teach a modular refrigeration unit that can accommodate components of varying dimensions.
The ability to accommodate components of varying dimensions would allow installers to maintain smaller inventories, while accommodating the same customers. For instance, in a first application, the customer's condensing unit may require a compressor having a small compression rate, while in a second application, the condensing unit may require a larger compressor having a larger capacity. Similarly, in the first application, the condensing unit may require a condenser having a large capacity, while in the second application, the condensing unit may require a smaller condenser having a small capacity. Typically, the condensing unit includes a base to support the compressor and condenser, but the base is configured to receive only one dimension of compressor and condenser. If the condensing unit were configured to accommodate varying dimensions of compressors and condensers, then the installer would not have to store different condenser units that have different compressors and condensers of varying dimensions to meet their customer's needed cooling capacity. Instead, the installer could inventory one chassis and customize the chassis based on the cooling capacity needed.